The CARE Act represents a significant shift in how we approach mental health care, offering a compassionate civil court process designed to provide individuals with serious mental illnesses a clinically appropriate and community-based Mental Health Care Program. This innovative program prioritizes culturally and linguistically competent services and supports, tailored to the unique needs of each participant. Individualized CARE plans are initially structured for up to 12 months and can be extended for another 12 months if necessary, ensuring sustained support.
At the heart of these plans is a comprehensive suite of services, including short-term stabilization medications, crucial wellness and recovery supports, and vital connections to essential social services like housing. Recognizing that stable housing is foundational for recovery, the mental health care program emphasizes housing as a critical component. It’s understood that achieving stability and adhering to treatment is incredibly challenging for individuals living without shelter.
The CARE process is strategically designed as an upstream intervention, aiming to prevent more restrictive measures such as conservatorships or incarceration. Evidence supports the effectiveness of community-based care settings in stabilizing individuals, facilitating healing, and enabling them to exit homelessness. Advances in treatment models, including longer-acting antipsychotic medications, combined with dedicated clinical teams and stable housing, empower participants who have historically struggled on the streets or faced avoidable incarceration to achieve successful stabilization and community integration through this mental health care program.
It’s important to note that the CARE Act mental health care program is specifically intended for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders meeting defined criteria. It is not a universal solution for everyone experiencing homelessness or mental illness. The program focuses on intervention before individuals reach the point of arrest, commitment to a State Hospital, or require a Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Mental Health Conservatorship. CARE can also serve as a beneficial step following a short-term involuntary hospital hold or as a safe diversion from certain criminal proceedings. While homelessness in California is multifaceted, the CARE Act targets those most severely affected by treatable mental health conditions, offering a pathway to effective treatment, support, and sustained recovery through this dedicated mental health care program.
Accountability and Support within the CARE Mental Health Care Program
A cornerstone of the CARE Act mental health care program is supporting recovery and fostering self-sufficiency. Engagement begins with a petition to the Court, initiated by various individuals including care providers, family members, and first responders. Participants are guaranteed legal counsel and can choose a voluntary supporter to assist them, alongside their clinical team. The supporter’s role is crucial in empowering the participant to understand information, consider options, and communicate their decisions, maximizing their ability to make self-directed choices within their mental health care program.
The CARE plan is meticulously designed to identify, coordinate, and focus appropriate supports and services on the individual needs of each participant. This integrated approach addresses the often-fragmented nature of services like clinical treatment and housing. Furthermore, the creation of a Psychiatric Advance Directive is incorporated into the mental health care program to protect participant autonomy by legally documenting their treatment preferences for potential future mental health crises.
Accountability within the CARE Act mental health care program is mutual. If a participant struggles to complete their plan despite receiving all stipulated services and supports, the Court can utilize existing LPS Act authority to ensure their safety. Critically, if all services within the CARE plan have been provided, a participant’s non-completion will be considered in subsequent LPS Act hearings within six months of the CARE plan’s termination. This creates a presumption that the individual requires intervention beyond the supports already offered through the mental health care program.
The CARE Act also ensures local government accountability in providing necessary care. It leverages existing robust funding streams available to counties, including billions allocated annually for behavioral health care through initiatives like the Mental Health Services Act. Cities and counties also have access to significant state funding for housing and clinical residential placements. Participants in the CARE Court mental health care program receive priority for bridge housing funded by the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing program. To further ensure accountability, if local governments fail to meet their responsibilities under court-ordered CARE plans, the Court has the power to impose sanctions and, in extreme cases, appoint an agent to guarantee service provision, thereby upholding the integrity and effectiveness of this vital mental health care program.
